BIBLE VERSE STUDY
Exodus 20:8-11 — The Sabbath Commandment
God commands Israel to work six days and rest on the seventh, setting apart the Sabbath as holy because Jehovah Himself rested from creation on that day.
Scripture
8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;
10but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
What this passage means
The Fourth Commandment opens with the Hebrew verb zāḵôr, 'remember' (H2142). Unlike the negative form that begins the other commandments, this one calls for a positive act of recollection: Israel is to recall the Sabbath and treat it as holy (qāḏaš, H6942). The day is not merely a pause from labor; it is consecrated time belonging to God.
Verses 9-10 contrast six days of labor (ʿāḇaḏ, H5647) with the seventh day, the šabbāṯ (H7676), declared to be 'a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God.' The prohibition is comprehensive: no member of the household, no servant, no animal, and no foreigner within the gates is to work. The Sabbath is simultaneously a personal discipline and a household-wide institution, structuring the entire community's week.
Verse 11 grounds the command in creation: 'in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth... and rested the seventh day.' The pattern of human labor and rest is patterned after God's own work. Because Jehovah 'blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it,' the day carries a permanent status—it is not merely a pause but a blessed and sanctified time.
Context
Exodus 20 is the heart of the Sinai covenant, where God speaks the Ten Commandments directly to Israel (v. 1). The Sabbath command follows the prohibition against misusing God's name (v. 7) and precedes the commands to honor parents and to refrain from killing, adultery, and theft (vv. 12-15). Its placement between commands about how Israel relates to God and commands about how they relate to one another reflects the Sabbath's dual character: it is devotion to God and the structuring of communal life at the same time.
Verse 2 frames the entire Decalogue in redemption: 'I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt.' After the chapter ends, the people react with awe at the theophany (vv. 18-21), and Moses draws near to the thick darkness where God is. The Sabbath command thus arises in a context of covenant relationship and divine presence, not merely as a rule about time management.
Key words in the original
- H2142 zāḵôr, 'remember,' is an imperative that opens the command. It signals that the Sabbath is not introduced as a new institution but recalled as something already known to be honored. Memory here is active: the people must repeatedly mark the day as set apart for God.
- H7676 šabbāṯ (H7676) denotes 'intermission' or 'cessation,' and in this context designates the seventh day itself. The related verb šāḇaṯ (to rest/cease) is absent here, but the noun implies a deliberate stopping of labor as an act of allegiance to God.
- H6942 qāḏaš, 'to keep holy' (H6942), frames the Sabbath as belonging to a sacred order. The Israelites do not create the day; they recognize and guard its holiness, distinguishing it from the ordinary six days of labor.
Related verses
- Genesis 2:3 The creation account concludes with God blessing and hallowing the seventh day after resting. Exodus 20:11 cites this same pattern, rooting the Sabbath in God's own creation rest rather than only in the Exodus deliverance.
- Deuteronomy 5:15 The parallel Sabbath command in Deuteronomy grounds the day in redemption from Egypt rather than primarily in creation. Together, the two passages give the Sabbath a double foundation: creation order and covenant deliverance.
- Exodus 31:16 Here the Sabbath is called 'a perpetual covenant' between God and Israel. This frames the Sabbath day not merely as a duty but as a sign of the ongoing covenant relationship that structures Israel's communal identity.
Common questions
Why does the Sabbath command begin with 'remember' rather than 'do not'?
The verb zāḵôr (H2142) calls for a positive act of recollection. The Sabbath is not introduced as a new rule but as something already designated as holy; the people must keep marking it as set apart. The other commandments frame prohibitions; this one frames a continual recognition of God's ordering of time.
Who is included in the Sabbath rest in verse 10?
The command covers the head of household, son, daughter, male servant, female servant, livestock, and the foreigner within the gates. The scope is deliberately comprehensive: the Sabbath shapes the entire household and resident community, not just the individual Israelite.
What is the reason given for keeping the Sabbath in verse 11?
The stated reason is the creation pattern: 'in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth... and rested the seventh day; wherefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.' Because God's own work and rest pattern the week, human labor and rest are to mirror it. The Sabbath's authority rests on God's creation and His blessing of the day, not on Israel's circumstances.